DNA profiles of shed Taiga Bean Goose feathers indicate between-season fidelity to moulting sites in Swedish Lapland

Recently, the Taiga Bean Goose Anser f. fabalis breeding population of Southern Lapland, Sweden, was shown to use a network of local sites during their summer wing moult. We used microsatellite markers to identify individual geese from DNA in shed feathers collected in 2016–2020 on six sites, enabli...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ornis Svecica
Main Authors: de Jong, Adjan, Kleven, Oddmund, Honka, Johanna, Vahlström, Isak
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:Swedish
Published: BirdLife Sweden 2024
Subjects:
moult
site fidelity
conservation
genetics
population structure
ruggning
ortstrohet
fågelskydd
genetik
populationsstruktur
Lappland
taiga
Lapland
Online Access:https://journals.lub.lu.se/os/article/view/25715
https://doi.org/10.34080/os.v34.25715
Description
Summary:Recently, the Taiga Bean Goose Anser f. fabalis breeding population of Southern Lapland, Sweden, was shown to use a network of local sites during their summer wing moult. We used microsatellite markers to identify individual geese from DNA in shed feathers collected in 2016–2020 on six sites, enabling us to identify 168 unique individuals from 178 fully genotyped feathers. Nine individuals were represented multiple times among the collected feathers. All controls of identified individuals were made on the original site, never on an alternative site. Our results suggest a significant level of site fidelity and, thus, the need to provide a stable, low-disturbance network of moulting sites for the Southern Lapland sub-population of this endangered taxon. Recently, the Taiga Bean Goose Anser f. fabalis breeding population of Southern Lapland, Sweden, was shown to use a network of local sites during their summer wing moult. We used microsatellite markers to identify individual geese from DNA in shed feathers collected in 2016–2020 on six sites, enabling us to identify 168 unique individuals from 178 fully genotyped feathers. Nine individuals were represented multiple times among the collected feathers. All controls of identified individuals were made on the original site, never on an alternative site. Our results suggest a significant level of site fidelity and, thus, the need to provide a stable, low-disturbance network of moulting sites for the Southern Lapland sub-population of this endangered taxon.

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